Overview

You are passionate about change in education. You know most schools are preparing kids for the world of yesterday, not the world of tomorrow. You’ve seen the magic of what can happen in a classroom committed to equity and authentic learning. You know that preparing kids for the future means developing socially conscious innovators ready to take on the world’s biggest challenges. You recognize that every child has uniquely limitless potential and that educators have a unique role in nurturing and celebrating that inner-brilliance.

You believe that teachers are the heartbeat of a school and you take the responsibility of managing them seriously. You want to use that power of your role to elevate the voices and needs of your teachers while building and running the systems and communication structures needed to make their job the best it can be.

You are well organized and know that transparency and reliability are the foundations of trust. You also are excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively with the rest of the school leadership team to use your collective capacity to help build an innovative school.
You are skilled in turnaround and change management. You know how to build upon and maximize strengths, while identifying and leading change management that center students and student outcomes and honor teachers, staff and community.
If this sounds like you, we want you to apply to join us at The Gathering Place. 

Primary Job Responsibilities of a Principal:

School Leadership

• Support the TGP mission and TGP design principles.
• Embody TGP Collective norms.
• Lead with an equity lens. 
• Manage and facilitate turnaround and change management, while continuing to build on existing strengths. 
• Center students, student outcomes, and school sustainability in all decisions. 

Manage, coach and develop the school leadership team as well as direct reports to achieve measurable and ambitious results and student outcomes.

• Design campus vision, campus strategy, campus goals, and campus objectives to address meeting the needs of the student population on campus and resulting in positive and quantifiable student outcomes. 
• Set and oversee the successful completion of goals aligned to the school’s mission and priorities.
• Lead instructional staff to improve their teaching quickly and measurably through walkthroughs, in-the-moment feedback, supporting teacher relationships with all members of the organization, data meetings, effective evaluations, and the leveraging of campus resources. 
• Oversee compliance and implementation of special programs including but not limited to Special Education, 504 Plans, Emergent Bilingual services, and MTSS. 
• Ensure the school leadership team has access to the communication and resources needed to successfully execute their job.
• Regularly meet with the school leadership team to make collective decisions that are aligned with the school’s mission and priorities.
• Embrace a culture of feedback to continue growing in skill in supporting children, staff, and caregivers.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve and consistently reflect on past actions to guide future decisions.
• Establish and maintain healthy working relationships with students, teachers, staff, and families.
• Collaborate with teachers, members of the TGP Collective, TGP caregivers, community members and school leaders.
• Attend critical school events such as professional development days, school events for students, and school events for caregivers and/or community members.
• Serve as the primary point of contact during school emergencies. 

School Model

• Work alongside executive leadership to iterate upon and implement the school model. 
• Oversee the implementation of the school model across the campus. 
• Oversee implementation of TGP design principles, organizational priorities, and organizational initiatives. 
• Ensure the TGP model is implemented with fidelity.
• Ensure that TGP academic programming and data measures are implemented with fidelity.
• Ensure school systems and structures including calendars, schedules, policies, and school procedures are aligned with the school model and implemented with fidelity.
• Oversee the implementation and design of systems and processes at the campus level which includes but is not limited to: arrival, dismissal, after-care, clubs, tutoring, completion of narratives / report cards, task deadlines, surveys, showcases logistics, and events logistics.
• Oversee the implementation of assessments to meet ambitious academic expectations.
• Synthesize, analyze, and prioritize data and opportunities to develop strategies that achieve quantifiable goals.
• Collect feedback from children, staff, and caregivers as a tool to evaluate and iterate on the implementation of the model. 

Student Culture

• Coordinate school-wide programs that recognize positive student behavior, tiered interventions, and restorative practices.
• Support the creation and implementation of a clear and consistent behavior management system while developing students’ relationships and sense of community.
• Develop a school-wide culture that fosters a productive, safe and enthusiastic learning environment for each student.
• Ensure that school norms are uniformly observed and that student discipline is appropriate and equitable.
• Along with school leaders, hold conferences about student behavior with caregivers, students, and staff.
• Develop and follow clearly articulated plans for daily operations and implementation of student services; including support and intervention services, discipline management, and crisis intervention.

Training and Development

• Champion and model the TGP Collective norms. 
• Foster a sense of belonging, team-building, and involvement among staff members.
• Collaborate with leaders on training and professional development arcs and schedules. 
• Oversee campus-level training related to school goals and priorities. 
• Ensure school training, professional development, and coaching are aligned to organizational philosophies, priorities, and the TGP model. 
• Plan, participate, and/or lead professional development sessions for team members. 
• Ensure all staff have regular 1:1 manager meetings related to the school model and their specific goals and needs.
• Conduct one performance evaluation each semester for all direct reports who have been employed for that full semester and ensure all employees have one performance evaluation for every full semester they are employed at The Gathering Place. 

Talent & HR

• Participate in the hiring process for school staff.
• Ensure key school personnel are appropriately involved in hiring decisions related to their teams.
• Oversee the implementation and execution of action plans for all school-based staff who are failing to meet job responsibilities.
• Ensure all staff follow the proper procedures for signing in, signing out, and tracking hours when applicable.
• Ensure all systems related to Paid Time Off (PTO) are followed and submitted properly for payroll.
• Ensure all staff attendance and sign in / sign out systems are properly followed. 
• Ensure all employee policies outlined in the employee handbook are followed.
• Make key decisions related to promotions and terminations of campus staff.

Caregivers

• Serve as the primary point of contact for caregivers for information related to the school, and specifically day-to-day operations of the school.
• Work alongside caregivers to create a strong sense of community and connection with the school. 
• Oversee the communication protocols related to caregiver needs and concerns. 
• Oversee caregiver grievance protocols at the campus level.
• Ensure caregiver concerns and questions are addressed and responded to in the appropriate amount of time. 
• Create events and opportunities for caregivers to connect and learn about the TGP model. 
• Oversee and ensure school enrollment and registration meets all goals and targets. 

Finances

• Ensure the school is on track to meet enrollment, attendance, and persistence targets annually.
• Ensure all school departments operate within their allocated budget.
• Work alongside the district back office to ensure finance procedures related to reimbursements, credit cards, requests, and receipts are followed by all school staff. 
• Ensure any approved overtime or stipend-based work stays within the school budget.

Compliance

• Ensure all mandated state and federal reporting is completed on time. 
• Work with the school leadership team and back office team to ensure PEIMS reports are accurate. 
• Oversee all state and federal audits related to school operations.

All-School Staff Responsibilities

• Meet professional obligations including timeliness and consistency in meeting deadlines, among all other policies outlined in the Staff Handbook. 
• Compile, maintain and file all reports, records and other required documents.
• The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Information: 

• There are five weeks of summer professional development starting early July and several professional development days built into the calendar throughout the year.
• This position is a full-time, 12-month, exempt position and follows the 12-month employee calendar.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Valid Texas teaching certificate, appreciated but not required
• Experience teaching
• Experience in school leadership or administration, preferably in Texas

Benefits & Compensation

• A salary of $90,000 - $110,000 depending on experience
• High-quality health, dental, and vision insurance options
• 100% Employer paid Life Insurance
• 15 PTO days (this includes sick, personal, bereavement, religious, vacation, and any other days needed off from work)
• Paid parental leave which includes adoptions

Commitment to Diversity

The Gathering Place seeks to establish a diverse staff that reflects the identities of our children. We do not and shall not discriminate on the basis of a person’s actual or perceived identity with regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, nationality, pregnancy, political or religious beliefs, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, parental status, or any other distinguishing physical, or genetic characteristics. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff as well as potential staff members.